Durst, the industrial inkjet applications specialist, will be launching the Alpha series, a new generation of super multi-pass inkjet printers for the digital production of home textiles and fashion at ITMA 2015. The Alpha series offers print widths of 190-330 cm and can be configured with up to eight colours and 64 Alpha-S print heads that achieve a native resolution of 600 dpi and a print speed of 460 lm/h. With these performance parameters Durst is positioning the Alpha series in direct competition to traditional screen-printing – with all the benefits of digital printing. Compared with the single-pass trend, the Alpha series has the advantage of more economical, more efficient and more reliable printing technology.

The Durst Alpha series provides continuous ink circulation in all ink circuits in order to guarantee constant ink quality and reliable stand-by availability. In the event of a print head failing, an automatic emergency mode will deactivate the affected print head row and continue printing with the greatest possible number of print heads. When necessary, Alpha-S print heads can be replaced by the customer within a very short time. A new intelligent feed system has been developed for the Alpha series that adapts automatically to different textiles and roll diameters. An integrated spray system allows materials to be chemically pre-treated before printing. Durst provides its own OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifiable ink systems and a GOTS-certified reactive ink system.

In order to give users greater flexibility and efficiency in production, Durst has also developed a new pigmented ink (Alpha Ink P) which can be used on a wide variety of textiles and which, after printing, offers an impressive feel. In addition, no pre or post treatment is required for standard materials such as cotton or polyester. Besides excellent print quality, high flexibility, industrial productivity and scalability, the Alpha Series also offers process solutions. The newly developed Durst Textile Workflow System simplifies precise colour reproduction on different fabrics and enables continuous quality control and one-step profiling for new materials and colour matching.

“The Alpha series makes digital textile production more economical and efficient,” says Martin Winkler, Segment Manager Textile Printing, Durst Phototechnik AG. “Super multi-pass technology allows us to achieve similar production capacity as with screen printing and provide 24/7 reliability that is not possible with single-pass technology. It’s not just about pure print speed but the simplification of printing processes so that the user can start production immediately. The Alpha series combines new process technologies in order to make the interaction between print head, ink system, material, type of fabric as well as pre and post treatment manageable and reproducible at all times. The Alpha series print head technology also ensures high fail-safe performance and permanent availability. Furthermore, with the new pigmented ink, we are also offering users a universal solution for standard materials in order to increase flexibility and efficiency in production.”